It capped a remarkable few months for Chelsea, who sacked Portuguese manager Andre Villas Boas in late March with the team toiling in the Premier League and trailing 3-1 against Napoli after the first leg of their Champions League last 16 match.

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Football gloom in Munich

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Under Di Matteo, Chelsea somehow overturned the deficit against Napoli, but a miraculous victory over Barcelona managed to overshadow that.

Chelsea looked doomed again after skipper John Terry was sent off early in the second leg and they went 2-1 down on aggregate, but once again the Blues triumphed against the odds -- and repeated the trick against Bayern in the German's club's home stadium.

The win also guaranteed Chelsea a place in the Champions League next season after missing out via the Premier League by only finishing sixth. Tottenham, who finished fourth in the English league, will have to settle for the Europa League.

As the buses came to a halt on Sunday, Terry, who was suspended for the final but lifted the trophy with Frank Lampard, led the players and fans in a chant of "champions, champions, ole ole ole."

When the microphone was passed to Drogba, he was serenaded by both players and fans with "Didier Drogba, we want you to stay."

Roman Abramovich, the club's wealthy Russian owner, was also on the parade to witness the celebrations of Drogba, Fernando Torres, Ashley Cole, Petr Cech, Juan Mata, and countless other signings made under his big-spending ownership.

Winning the Champions League had been Abramovich's dream and plenty of managers were fired over their failure to deliver it, but Di Matteo's future is still far from secure.

"Whatever the club decides I will respect, it's as simple as that," the Italian coach said after the match in Munich.

Chelsea win Champions League for the first time 5 photos

Chelsea win Champions League for the first time5 photos

Champions League glory at last – Chelsea's players lift the Champions League for the first time after their dramatic win over Bayern Munich.

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Chelsea win Champions League for the first time5 photos

Home support boosted Bayern – Bayern Munich's supporters packed their home Allianz Arena to see their heroes take on Chelsea.

Chelsea hero Drogba – Didier Droga proved Chelsea's hero with a goal in normal time and the penalty shootout winner.

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Chelsea win Champions League for the first time5 photos

Robben's penalty miss crucial – Arjen Robben is left stunned after his penalty effort is saved by Petr Cech and he cannot convert the follow up.

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Bayern vs. Chelsea: Final figures 8 photos

Bayern vs. Chelsea: Final figures8 photos

Bavarian stronghold – The host venue for Saturday's Champions League final, Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena, has a capacity of 69,000 that the German club sells out for every match.

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Bayern vs. Chelsea: Final figures8 photos

Leaving the Bridge? – Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, on the other hand, has a capacity of just 41,837 -- but the English club has similar matchday revenue to Bayern due to higher ticket prices. However, owner Roman Abramovich is seeking to move to a bigger stadium.

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Bayern vs. Chelsea: Final figures8 photos

Oligarch vs. fans – Russian billionaire Abramovich has owned 100% of Chelsea since buying the club in 2003. Bayern, on the other hand, is 82% owned by fans -- most German clubs are governed by the "50+1" rule to protect them from aggressive takeovers.

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Bayern vs. Chelsea: Final figures8 photos

Bayern 4 Chelsea 0 – German legend Franz Beckenbauer, left, lifts the European Cup in 1975 -- the second of Bayern's four triumphs. Chelsea skipper John Terry, right, missed a vital penalty in his club's only previous final appearance in 2008.

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Bayern vs. Chelsea: Final figures8 photos

Heynckes vs. Di Matteo – Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes won Europe's top club tournament with Real Madrid in 1998, while Chelsea's interim manager Roberto di Matteo is seeking to follow up this season's English FA Cup final success.

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Bayern vs. Chelsea: Final figures8 photos

Bayern's banned players – Bayern will be without (from left) David Alaba, Holger Badstuber, Luiz Gustavo, as the trio are suspended after being booked in the second leg of the semifinal against Real Madrid.

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Bayern vs. Chelsea: Final figures8 photos

Chelsea's costly win – Chelsea's dramatic semifinal win over defending champions Barcelona came at a cost as Terry (left) was sent off, and Branislav Ivanovic, Raul Meireles and Ramires picked up yellow cards to also be ruled out of the final.

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Bayern vs. Chelsea: Final figures8 photos

Spending power – Bayern's record signing is $40 million top scorer Mario Gomez. Chelsea splashed out twice that on Fernando Torres, who has struggled to find the net since leaving Liverpool in January 2011. Bayern's revenue is higher, but Abramovich has funded Chelsea's spending sprees.

Villarreal vanquished – Villarreal midfielder Marcos Senna cut a forlorn figure after a 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid condemned the 2006 European Champions League semifinalists to relegation from the Spanish top flight.

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European football season review8 photos

City win battle of Manchester – Manchester City beat archrivals and neighbors Manchester United to the English Premier League title on goal difference, after two goals in stoppage gave Roberto Mancini's side a 3-2 victory against Queens Park Rangers.

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European football season review8 photos

Bolton beaten – Defeat in Manchester would have sent QPR down, if Bolton Wanderers had beaten Stoke City. But Owen Coyle's team could only draw 2-2 at the Britannia Stadium, a result which ended Bolton's 11-year stay in the Premier League.

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European football season review8 photos

Delight for Del Piero – Veteran striker Alessandro del Piero celebrated his final game for Juventus in style, scoring as the Italian champions beat Atalanta 3-1. Juventus were undefeated throughout the 38-game league season.

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European football season review8 photos

Farewell Filippo – Filippo Inzaghi marked his final game for AC Milan in similar style to Del Piero, netting the winner in a 2-1 defeat of Novara. Milan finished second, four points behind Juve.

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European football season review8 photos

Dortmund's double – Borussia Dortmund were crowned champions of Germany for a second year in a row, with Jurgen Klopp's side finishing eight points ahead of Champions League finalists Bayern Munich.

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European football season review8 photos

Fortuna favors Dusseldorf – At the bottom of the Bundesliga, Hertha Berlin were relegated after losing a two-legged playoff against Fortuna Dusseldorf 4-3 on aggregate. The result means Fortuna, who finished third in Bundesliga 2, will return to the top flight next season for the first time in 15 years.

Once the delirious opposition fans had departed -- an estimated 100,000 Chelsea supporters were in Munich -- the city was left to mourn what most of the German newspapers saw as a desperately unlucky defeat.